Betrayed and Claimed by the Lycan King Chapter 199

Ezra's POV

I walked toward my penthouse, nodding briefly at the security personnel standing by the entrance. Miller and Tommy straightened immediately, their shoulders tensing as they lowered their heads in respect.

Sometimes, I envied the simplicity of their lives. No whole company weighing on their shoulders. No responsibility for an entire pack of werewolves looking to me for leadership and protection. Just guard the door, check IDs, and go home at the end of the day.

*If I'm reborn in my next life and discover I'm once again born as an Alpha heir, I'll kill myself,* I thought bitterly.

"Good morning," I said aloud. "Raise your heads."

Miller quickly swiped his keycard and punched in the security code for the penthouse. "Good morning, sir."

"Thank you," I replied curtly before walking inside.

My body ached with exhaustion. The emergency with Silver Moon's new acquisition had kept me working through the night. Now I'd have to face her fury head-on.

The moment I stepped inside, Isolde strode toward me, her eyes blazing with indignation.

Her cheeks were flushed with anger, making her look even more beautiful than usual. She wore the custom-made blue cocktail dress that Silver Moon provided for Moon Alliance members—the sight of her in it momentarily stole my breath, though I carefully maintained my neutral expression.

"Have I been reduced to this?" she demanded, her voice trembling with emotion. "A high-class prisoner?"

I took a deep breath. "Good morning, Isolde."

"There's nothing good about this morning," she snapped back.

I attempted a business-like smile, the kind that normally smoothed over tense boardroom conflicts, but Isolde wasn't having any of it.

"Am I your high-class prisoner now?" she repeated, crossing her arms. "Or is this how Silver Moon treats all its 'Moon Alliance Program' members?"

"No, you're not a prisoner!" I denied vehemently. "I would never treat you that way."

"Then why am I locked inside your apartment?" Isolde challenged, her eyes narrowing. "The doors won't open for me."

"Because you threatened to leave, and there are things happening that I don't want you caught up in," I explained, struggling to keep my voice even. The mere thought of her walking away from me made me feel like my chest was being torn open.

Isolde let out a harsh laugh. "Your executive team hates me. Silver Moon's shareholders must be questioning why you'd marry a debt-ridden family's daughter and make her your Luna. The entire pack is going crazy over our mating. They don't want me. They want Evanthe as your mate, especially now that she claims to be carrying your child. You should listen to them. Let me go, marry Evanthe instead, and maintain the stability of your Silver Moon empire."

Her words cut through me like razors. I clenched my jaw, fighting to maintain control.

"That's what they want," I said, stepping closer. "But what about what I want? What about what you want? What about what the Moon Goddess wants? She paired us together for a reason. We are fated mates, meant to be together until the end!"

Isolde gave a scornful laugh. "Fated? Meant to be together until the end?"

Her voice grew steadily louder. "If you believed that, you wouldn't have waited until everything went to shit. You would have marked me the moment you saw me in the Moon Alliance Program. But you didn't! You hesitated because you hated that your mate was a werewolf from an ordinary family!" By the end, she was shouting.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest, a tangled mess of guilt and anguish I'd been suppressing for weeks. Prime howled inside me, desperate to comfort her, to make this right.

"This is all fucked up, Ezra," Isolde said, her eyes filling with tears. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back. "People in your company are already questioning your leadership. If we stay together, the trouble will only get worse. Just let me go so you can restore order to your business and your pack. Give them the Luna they want."

Her voice broke on the last sentence, and the sound shattered something inside me. I could see the fear and dejection behind her anger—emotions I understood all too well. I needed to fix this, to make this work, just like I made all my business plans succeed.

"I will never do that," I said firmly, moving forward to pull her into my arms. I rested my chin on top of her head. "You're not going anywhere. Everything will be alright. I promise. Just like every deal I've never failed to close."

Isolde pushed against my chest, breaking my hold. She wiped her eyes fiercely and looked at me with renewed determination. "I don't care about your promises. My resolve to leave will never waver. I will find a way out of this golden cage, one way or another."

I felt a chill run down my spine at her words. I gestured toward the dining table, which was set with an elegant breakfast spread. "You haven't touched your breakfast. The chef prepared it especially for you."

Isolde stood staring at the electronic lock on the door, her eyes flickering gold for a moment as her wolf stirred within her.

"I'm not hungry," she said flatly.

"I don't believe you," I replied. "Come, sit down. Let's eat together. It's the only private time I'll have today."

"I don't want to."

"Don't be so stubborn."

Her head snapped toward me, eyes flashing. "Stubborn? Well, what difference does my objection make anyway? You'll just use your Alpha command to force me to comply."

"I haven't forced you to do anything!" I protested, frustration building inside me.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with," Isolde hissed, walking to the table and sitting down. Her eyes still held that defiant golden gleam.

We ate what had to be the most suffocating breakfast in history. The air between us was thick with unspoken words and tension, the only sounds being the clink of silverware against fine china and the occasional sigh from one of us.

I watched her eat, barely tasting my own food. I'd won this small battle, but I was losing the war for her heart. And for the first time in my life as both CEO and Alpha, I had no idea how to turn the tide in my favor.

*She's ours,* Prime insisted again. *Mark her now before it's too late.*

But looking at Isolde's rigid posture and the cold determination in her eyes, I knew that marking her now would only push her further away. I needed her willing submission, her forgiveness, her love—not just the biological bond that would chain her to me.

I just had no idea how to earn any of those things back.